At AEW Dynasty, Willow Nightingale clinched her inaugural championship in the company by overcoming Julia Hart to seize the TBS Championship, marking the culmination of a journey that has endeared her to AEW fans since her arrival.
Former AEW talent Matt Hardy, presently freelancing with IMPACT, shared his admiration for Nightingale’s appeal on an episode of “The Extreme Life of Matt Hardy.” Drawing a parallel between her and a WWE legend, Hardy praised the 30-year-old’s charisma and likability.
“She reminds me, and this is by no means a physical comparison, she reminds me of Dusty Rhodes in some ways,” Hardy expressed.
“She’s very likable. She’s very charismatic and whenever she goes out there and does things, it’s just also very believable in whatever it may be.
There’s just something about her that makes you want to cheer for her. That is what I think of when I think about Willow. When you see her, she’s a very friendly person.
She just really radiates through the screen and you’re like, ‘Wow. I like this individual and I want to cheer for them. I want them to do good. I want to see them win.'”
Nightingale swiftly embarks on her first championship feud, as Mercedes Mone gears up for her much-anticipated AEW in-ring debut against Nightingale at Double Or Nothing in Las Vegas this May.
The impending clash carries added weight as Mone’s history with Nightingale dates back to May 2023 when she sustained an injury during their New Japan Pro-Wrestling encounter for the NJPW STRONG Women’s Championship.
The announcement of their match came mere days after Nightingale’s championship triumph, punctuating her victory. Mone’s disruption of Nightingale’s in-ring celebration on “AEW Dynamite,” alongside manager Stokely Hathaway and Kris Statlander, set the stage for the impending showdown, culminating in Mone receiving a slap from Statlander.
